The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The present disclosure relates to a process for the preparation of a salt of a fatty acid ester of hydroxycarboxylic acid which comprises heating an oil, comprising a triglyceride fatty acid ester in admixture with a salt of hydroxycarboxylic acid, the product prepared by the process and the use of said product.
A lactylate refers to a compound having an acyl group from the fatty acid attached to one (monolactylates) or several lactic acid molecules (dilactylates etc) and a proton (H+) or another cation. The fatty acid moiety consists typically of a hydrocarbon chain attached to a carboxyl group at the end. The hydrocarbon chain can contain different numbers of carbon atoms, and the bonds between the carbon atoms can be saturated or unsaturated.
Lactylates are known surfactants. These surfactants are made by reacting lactic acid with fatty acid and neutralizing. Lactylates are well known in the food industry and are used in personal care applications to improve skin feel, skin softness and moisturization and reduce tackiness during wet to dry transition after product application.
Fatty acids esters can be found in natural oils. Natural oils may contain a high proportion of glycerides of lower and medium chain fatty acids. These triglycerides form a class of lipids in which three saturated or unsaturated fatty acids are bound to a glycerol backbone. Examples of such oils are coconut oil or palm oil. These natural oils are a source of glycerol and fatty acids which can be prepared by hydrolysis to liberate their fatty acids form glycerol and then separated by e.g. fractional distillation. Due to the high presence of medium sized fatty acid chains in the triglyceride of e.g. coconut oil, these triglycerides are often used in research, medicine and food products. By esterification other esters can be prepared including the esterification with lactic acid.